Weekends

Last weekend we decided to hop on the bike and embark on another adventure. Thanks to sites like Pinterest I have been able to research things to do locally and find is quick weekend adventures. Because of this research I found so many articles about all the little ghost towns within a 2-4 hour drive.

The first of our ghost town adventures was Shaniko, Oregon. Shaniko was once a bustling town that made most of its income by growing sheep and selling the wool. Once the railroad found a more direct route from Eastern Oregon to Portland, Shaniko slowly died. Then half the town burned down from a brush fire. Today the total population of Shaniko is 25-30 residents.

If you ever find yourself on Highway 97 take an hour to stop and walk around. Loved experiencing this little piece of history and intend on returning soon.

Once pulling off the freeway we pulled onto the main drive through the city of Sturgis and let me tell you it was grid lock. Bumper to bumper bikes! And I may have been a wide eyed kid.

Night one was really relaxed. Everyone unpacked then we headed down to the concert area to see everything the Buffalo Chip had to offer. It was great being able to ride around the camp ground instead of walking. Seriously way to big of a camp ground to walk everywhere.

The next day we rode to Mount Rushmore. Leading up to this trip I was really excited to see Mount Rushmore but once we got there I was kind of disappointed. Its a lot smaller than you think.

Mount Rushmore

After the disappointment that was Mount Rushmore we rode to Rapid City. Walking around Rapid City was really fun. While we were wondering around we stumbled upon Art Alley. I could have taken so many more photos.

While wondering we found a cute little hole in the wall bar to stop for a quick drink. The weather was so great we decided to sit out on the back patio. To our surprise it was part/connected to Art Alley.

The rest of the evening was spent relaxing and enjoying camp. After the long day of riding it was really nice to just relax.

Tuesday was spent just riding. We rode through the Black Hills then over to Custer State Park. We rode through the wild life loop and saw some Buffalo.

Wednesday we decided to stick around town. We rode into Sturgis and just wondered around all day. Eating, drinking, and meeting people. I learned one interesting fact. The waitresses/bartenders in Sturgis, South Dakota wear little to nothing but they are required to wear tights and if they sit on the bar they have to have a “stripper license”. Little tip from me to you.

Before heading back to camp we rode to Full Throttle Saloon. The new saloon is great but I wish I could have seen the original before it burned down. But we did get to see a lot of ladies in little to nothing. I wish I had some of that confidence.

Thursday was another full day of riding. We rode around the Blacks Hills, Hill City, and basically anywhere the rode took us. It was great to be out on the open road and just riding.

Friday was our last and final day in Sturgis. We only did one short ride and I think it was the best ride of the entire trip. We rode to Deadwood. There is so much history here. Well everywhere we went but I really wish we could have taken the historical tour in Deadwood.

The rest of Friday was spent at camp packing then off to another concert. This trip was a lot of work but also worth it. I didn’t even know what Sturgis was until I met L. Stepping outside my comfort zone made this trip happen. We’re already counting down to our return trip in 2020.

Back in August L and I loaded up our car with camping gear, our bike was loaded on our friends trailer, and we drove to Sturgis, South Dakota for the annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. Now I wouldn’t consider us the “typical biker” but this was an experience I knew would be once in a lifetime. And it was way more than I could have prepared for.

The drive from Portland to Sturgis is about 20 hours so we split it up into two 10 hour days. I am not a road tripper and this was hard on me. I survived and lived to tell the tale.

The car all loaded up.

Driving through the Gorge/bored.

More driving. More boredom. But look real close and you can see our bike way up there.

We drove through Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and finally called it a day in Missoula, Montana. Montana was a fun drive especially when we had to drive through an active forest fire. There were signs along the freeway stating “no stopping for any reason, active fire” and “caution flames and smoke”. You can’t see the flames in the photo’s below but we were extremely close and just happy to get to our stopping point for that day.

We pulled into the C’mon Inn and had to find the nearest food/beer. Let me just say if you ever find yourself in Missoula PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE stay at the C’mon Inn. Just look at the photos below.

Bear cubs climbing.

Lovely water feature in the lobby and what’s that next to it? A FREAKING HOT TUB IN THE LOBBY!

That’s right, they offer hot tubs in the lobby.

The next morning we woke up bright and early. We hit the road at a lovely 5:30am… This second day of driving was rough. 90% of the drive was just through Montana and let me tell you Montana is HUGE. And once you’re past Missoula its pretty flat and just desert. I will say I was pretty upset at one point of this drive because we kept seeing signs for Little Big Horn. I kept mentioning to L on the way home we have to make time to stop. When the hell are we ever going to be out this way again we HAVE to go. I love history, good and bad, so this really got my gears excited.

Montana sunrise.

Pretty Montana.

After hours of great plains driving we finally saw a “hill”. The Black Hills must be getting close!

Pulling off the freeway to Sturgis!

Well I didn’t plan on breaking this up into multiple post but I have a lot more to share. I’ll be back Monday with the remainder of the trip. I feel bad break this up but I hate reading extremely longs posts but I also hate reading a vacation post that is broken up over a week… But here I am doing just that.

FYI I have been listening to Christmas music while writing this post. Last year I had no spirit and this year I can’t get enough Christmas. That may be a post coming your way as well.

This weekend started out good. Like really good. Friday evening we went to pizza for dinner. My favorite Friday night treat! Shortly after we met with friends and hung out all evening. I don’t know why but I love simple quality time with friends.

Saturday started even better because the sun was shining and it was warm. The weather definitely effects my mood and having the weekends be as nice as they have been is making a huge difference in my mental and emotional state.

The dogs and L were outside all day Saturday while I went to a baby shower and it definitely showed when I got home. Very tired dogs and husband. But 25% of our fence is complete! That’s a win folks.

Sunday we went on a ride. I’m trying to get as many miles under my belt before our trip to Sturgis this summer. It wasn’t as sunny but it was about 10 degrees warmer. We spent the day with great company stopping for lunch and of course our favorite fire pit/brewery.

Of course everyone crashed Sunday night. Its honestly amazing what the nice weather and all the outside time did for us. I knew we needed it but it really hit home as I was getting ready for bed Sunday night. The weekend was incredibly eventful but it was enough to remind me how good we have it. So so good.

I’m embarrassed to admit I’ve been extremely lazy lately. As soon as I get home from work I put sweats on (after my workout) and most weekends have been spent in my pj’s. Friday to Monday morning the exact pj’s alllllll weekend.

I honestly think a huge role in my epic laziness has been the cold attacks L and I have been under this fall. In September I had my first cold of the season that quickly turned into laryngitis. Then exactly 4 weeks later I got another cold that has turned my nose into a running faucet that doesn’t turn off. I just can’t! L has been consistently sick between all this as well. We’re just done and over it.

So today I’m putting some holiday tunes on (sue me) and cleaning this home. Happy November everyone!